R.M. Bud Russell, age 100, of 1345 Michigan Ave. SW, Huron, died Saturday, October 7, 2006, at the Huron Nursing Home. His funeral service will be at 11:00 AM Friday, October 13, at the First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Kevin Channell officiating, and Masonic Rites by the Huron Masonic Lodge #26 AF & AM. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery with Military Rites by the Huron Veterans Council. Friends may call Thursday afternoon and evening at the Welter Funeral Home or prior to the service at the church Friday morning. The family will be present from 7:00 to 8:00 PM Thursday evening at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to Our Home, Inc. 343 3rd St. SE, Huron 57350. Robert Milton Bud Russell was born in Huron, Beadle County, South Dakota, on August 21, 1906, the youngest offspring of Dakota Territory homesteader, Samuel Hamilton Russell, a Wisconsin native of Scotch-Irish extraction, and Anne (Lloyd) Russell, a Wisconsin native with a Welsh background. His siblings were Mabelle Agnes, Julia Ann, Samuel Lloyd, Eldon Hamilton, and Alvin Scott (twins). Bud married Josephine Lucille Andersen (born October 9, 1906, in Grafton, North Dakota) on May 14, 1939. She passed away in Huron at the age of 98 on December 4, 2004. Buds early years were spent at the familys Huron home at 547 California Street. Up to four horses and a milk cow were kept in a barn behind the house. Bud delivered their oversupply of milk to several neighbors. He had a clothesline strung from his house to that of a neighbor so that he and a friend could pass messages back and forth over the line. As a teenager, he recalls being turned loose to operate a four-horse grain binder on the family farm in Lake Byron Township north of Huron. Bud was a rather studious fellow in school and earned the honor of Valedictorian of his Huron High School class. He attended Huron College for one year and then went on to earn B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota. While at the University of Minnesota he roomed with future Minnesota Governor and later, perennial presidential candidate, Harold Stassen. Bud had the lower bunk and Stassen the upper. During those college days Stassen and Bud met and had an interesting conversation with football great, Bronco Nagurski, who was working as a bouncer at the Red Brick Cellar. Bud passed the bar exams in both South Dakota and Minnesota, and then opened up a law practice in Huron in 1931. After a 62-year career, he retired in 1993 following open-heart surgery. He was elected County Judge of Beadle County in 1939 and served in that capacity until 1950, except for a period during World War II. He waived his exemption, entered the U.S. Army on February 3, 1944, and served in an investigative branch both in uniform and at times in civilian clothes. This time was spent at the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation at Newport News, Virginia, with interesting assignments including investigating collision damages to ships and checking incoming German prisoners (this even required inspecting armpits for tattoos signifying special units). He worked in security intelligence and later in counterintelligence and then was selected to attend Judge Advocate General School in Michigan. He was honorably discharged on September 6, 1945. He is a past President of the County Judges Association of South Dakota. Bud served as City Attorney of Huron from 1950 to 1957. He was a long-time Chairman of the Beadle County Republican Central Committee and aided many young men with appointments to the nations military academies. He represented South Dakota at the National Republican Convention in Chicago in 1960 as an Alternate Delegate. From 1963 to 1971, Bud served on the Governors Committee on Children and Youth under the administrations of Governors Gubbrud, Boe and Farrar. As Chairman of the Committee he participated in the White House Conference on Children in Washington, D.C., in 1970, and in the White House Conference on Youth at Estes Park, Colorado, in 1971. Bud also had an impressive record of serving his local community. He served as the first President of Hurons Community Council. The council was an influential organization comprised of two representatives from each of 33 organizations in Huron. Through the Community Council, with Buds legal assistance, Huron became the first city in South Dakota to establish a tax levy supported recreation program. The Community Council also established a Planning Commission for the City of Huron and Bud served as its first chairman. He is a long-time member and past president of the Kiwanis Club and is also a Mason. Bud further served his community and state by working with Our Home, Inc. as a charter board member. Our Home is a place for troubled youth and helps provide them with a second chance. Bud recalls the early days of Our Home, when Our Home, Inc., was first started, it was a child care facility which provided emergency shelter. Our Home was the outgrowth of a series of public meetings in 1971, which identified the need for a childcare facility with house parents. In 1976 it was determined that the shelter should be upgraded and expanded to become a comprehensive treatment facility. It now provides valuable help to young people from around the state. Steve Gubbrud, Our Home Executive Director, said working with R.M. Russell over the years had been an honor and a privilege. With his background as a county judge and his experience with children, his advice and counsel was invaluable. Bud was President Emeritus of the organization. In September 1999, R.M. Russell was awarded the Distinguished Civic Service Award which was presented at the annual meeting of the Huron Area Chamber of Commerce. He became the 67th recipient of this prestigious award that dates back to 1936. For decades Bud had been well known around town as Judge Russell. However, at least one case of misidentification had been reported while walking on a sidewalk one day, an approaching lady greeted him, Good morning, Reverend. He had many interesting stories about his early days and the pioneers of South Dakota. On Sunday, August 20, 2006, family and friends held an open house at the Huron Crossroads Hotel and Event Center in honor of R.M., Milton, Bud, Judge, Russell reaching the milestone of his 100th birthday! He was the first member of his family to have achieved this lofty status since his great grandmother, Jane (Bennett) Hamilton, born in County Dow, Ireland, accomplished it (1812-1912)! Bud is survived by several nieces and nephews, and great nieces and great nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Josephine, and 5 brothers and sisters.